I have one more closer look for the Upcycled Project QUILTING Challenge to share with you all – the one I made – A Weeping Willow. I am not included in the popular vote but be sure to head over and cast your VOTE for your FOUR Favorite quilts before 7pm today!

I’ll admit. I wasn’t super excited when I saw this challenge. Yes. I love a good challenge – and that’s definitely what this was. BUT it was just one of those weeks. I really want to keep what I made small, quick and easy. I just had a lot of other things that I had to get done. AND and it seemed that everything I came up with had really neat embellishment ideas with non quilt/clothing meant items but I just couldn’t think of a decent enough background made of upcycled material. I wanted to use some of my gorgeous beautiful fabric that I had ust spent weeks organizing! Oh well…I can’t always get what I want though right.

By mid-week I had sucked it up and started to pull things that would work for the challenge. My pile included an old frame I found in the shed, a Lindt Truffle bag, matilda jane mesh bags, some chicken wire, film strip negatives, a dark plastic bag, old scarves, a hand dyed doily, and some hand dyed t-shirts/tank tops. Once I saw my pile I finally had an idea.

I started out by sewing upholstery and curtain remnants onto an old flour sack bag (don’t worry…it wasn’t anything exciting). I used the same raw edge sewing method I had used on my past challenge piece. It just seemed like the way to go with the different fabric types…and it added more texture. I really like the textured/color blocked background that happened here. Now – it was time to embellish. I do believe living in the middle of an apple orchard really influences my pieces. Yup – I’m going to make another tree. BUT it’s not an apple tree this time…this time I’m going for weeping willow. I started to build the texture of the trunk using more fabric remnants, the shiny gold chocolate bag, the dyed doiley,

twisted fabric from an old bag, and film strip negatives. The texture created with all these different items is incredible if I do say so myself. This is definitely something that did not photograph as well as it looks in real life.

My next step was to take strips of the hand-dyed fabrics and scarf pieces and sew them along the very top of the quilt. Once I had all of these elements put together I stapled it around the old frame I had.

Next – it was time to braid! I wanted the strips slightly more controlled and not quite so all covering so I braided most of them to be the willow branches of the weeping willow. - Here I added more texture by using bits of string and sparkly scarves. This is how I left it after the first night. It was time to dream on it a bit.

I really wanted to use that chicken wire. The piece I had was pretty small though and it wasn’t doing what I wanted. I headed out to the shed (another benefit of living on the farm) and found the perfect size piece of chicken wire that I’m pretty sure wasn’t being used for anything else at the time. I wrapped around the quilt and under the braided branches. I love the secondary hexagon pattern it created over the quilt. This is ironic because one of my initial thoughts had been to do some English Paper Piecing for this piece – the hexagons were meant to be!

I took off the pants cords I had hanging for more branches…they just weren’t quite right. Instead I added in some french wire that I had sitting about from a failed jewelry making idea.

I just LOVE the shine and additional elements the silver and copper swirly wire created. Some I left curled tight – others I stretched out a bit.

To help create a little control to some of the branches I did loosely weave a few of them into the chicken wire.

The piece I’m going to feature from my fiber shop – is this unsuspecting ‘Christmas In July’ Modern Sampler Quilt. This quilt is a perfect representation to my style and I think it would be a fantastic addition to brighten up any room.

Karmen Linder Photography snapped this amazing shot of my quilt blowing in the wind. It really shows off the quilting on it too.

But now we’re going to take one last closer look at 10, well actually 11, more incredible projects created for the Upcyled Project QUILTING Challenge. Be sure to head over and cast your VOTE for your FOUR Favorite quilts at some point before the end of the week. And – don’t hesitate to click on an image and leave the creator a comment on what you think of their piece! We all love to have feedback, encouragement and awe shared.

Butterflies from the Bin

Project Quilting 5:2 Upcycled Challenge

The base of this project is a rag rug (100% recycled materials) with three layers of a sheer curtain appliquéd on in cloud-like shapes. The butterflies are from the recycling bin. I found lots of fun images and colors from packaging, magazine pages, etc. Some of the other cool things I used were an old valentine, paint chips, some orphan patchwork blocks, ATCs I never sent and the blue security envelope printing. Each one surprised me with how pretty my garbage could be! I arranged them in neat rows to admire, just like the butterfly collection at Reiman Gardens Butterfly Exhibit.

An old vinyl poster, shopping bags, and a tarnished piece of costume jewelry were my ingredients. This little wall hanging is completely weather proof and can hang by the front door.

The poster was going to the trash at work and the colors of the poster were the inspiration of a Valentine theme. The poster is a heavy vinyl and challenged my sewing machine a little and my old scissors, a lot. The shopping bag became the back and binding.

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(33) Jen Sews

Paper Sea Quilt

I am Jen Sews and this is my challenge 2 quilt. It is about 8" by 8". I used watercolors to paint some black and white newspaper comics. I cut out the pattern called Turn About fromwww.quilterscache.com. Then I glued the pattern and pieces to another sheet of newspaper. I sewed down each piece through the 3 layers of paper. I also added some marker to some of the stitching lines, some buttons and some stickers from a thrift store. The frame held a picture at my moms house for a number of years. I do my sewing in Colorado.

(35) tjtruesdale

Mom’s Tree

So this week I have spent the week watching my mom slowly decline. We put her in hospice a week ago. 3 1/2 hours from home with no sewing machine. On Sunday morning I scavenged my moms house and found stuff and finished it just in time to get communion at the Hospice house. Then decided last night as I was bored to add some beads and buttons. Will try to write a blog tonight about it. Here is my Wallhanging.

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(36) virpalm

Christmas Jewelry Wall Hanging

I have been thinking of making a wall hanging to display my jewelry, and thought this was the perfect project for this challenge. I used an old denim shirt for the background, cut it into strips and sewed the strips together. Then I cut up the green dog food bag into strips and sewed them together. After sewing I cut it into a tree shape and appliqued it to the denim fabric using zig zag stitch. I was going to decorate it with mardi gras beads but decided to go with the gold rick rack instead. I also used the gold rick rack for the star at the top. I painted a big button gold and sewed it on top of the rick rack at the top of the tree for the star, then painted it with gold glitter paint. I found the lacy stuff in my stash and decided it would look good around the edges. I used an old t-shirt for batting and for the back of the wall hanging. I used some Christmas fabric for the binding.

Forgot to add the size. 26 inches long by 18 inches wide. Made at my home in Maxwell, Iowa.

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(37) Trudy Brule

Upcycled Pockets.

As I was thinking about the project I came up with the idea that everyone has pockets in their life so I would create a story in pockets about 3 men who I loved who are now gone for this earth. Treasures or possibilities of treasures that could be found while preparing clothes for the laundry. (Perhaps the sign of the boy in the man, sans tails, snails and puppy dog tails.)

I have included pockets from old shirts in my fabric stash. I have also included ties that belonged to these three men.

I chose this color way because it worked with what I had to up cycle and they are all a variation of red, white and blue since all were veterans. The striped fabric is from St.Vinnies. The quilt has batting scraps pieced together, a backing from the same stash of St. Vinnies fabric and piece of an old sheet. It is quilted by machine. The "hard" items are attached with yarn left over from an old crewel kit I got back in the 1970s.

I used log cabin variation blocks because all 3 men liked to build things. Two of them built houses thus the log cabin variation was colored on two ends of the blocks. Each is a different height to represent the height of each man.

1. My dad who loved to garden and fish and was most resourceful in "upcycling and repurposing unimaginable things. He would dress up In a suit and tie if he had to but usually wore a flannel shirt. Sears was where he would buy his suits and ties. He was a great cook both at home and in his own restuarant. After spending time in the South Pacific in the US Navy he came back home to Wisconsin to marry his high school sweetheart, build ships, install sheetrock and father 8 kids. He seemed tall to me but was actually 5'8"

2. My husband Terry, who had a great ear for music. Although he couldn't read a note he created amazing music on his accordion and keyboard as the leader of his own band. He played the bagpipes in the Zor Shrine Pipes and Drums and loved all things Scottish, even tho his heritage was 100% French. He was great fan of Al Jolson and even presented a portrait of Al to the Winter Garden Theatre in NYC. (It still hangs in the lobby. He embraced many new technologies from tape recorders to computers. At 6'4" he was the tallest of the three. His day job required a suit, tie and usually a white shirt.

3. My husband Mark could build anything from houses to toast tongs. He could fell a tree with only the help of a a large rope and chain saw. He could repair just about anything. He spoke fluent Italian while spending 7 years in northern Italy as a paratrooper in the US Army. He loved all things Italian and especially their fine clothes. Once he got back to the US he found cotton shirts and jeans more to his liking. A Norwegian from McFarland he knew about all the properties of many different kinds of hardwood. His work precise to 1/64". (Something I could never accomplish in my quilting. But then fabric stretches better than wood. ) He was 5'11".

All of my guys loved to fish, were veterans and were honored at their funerals with a 21 gun salute. (Shells) I wanted to include many more things on the quilt but it became too busy. Deep inside the pockets are items too difficult to symbolize on a quilt: a smile, a whistle, a chuckle, a twinkle in the eye, a dimple, kindness, love and hugs and memories. Stuck deep in the seams are a few "naughty words".

The project looks different then I imagined it would but it was a fun process coming up with a idea and then pulling it all together. When I viewed the photograph it appears to have perspective. What will I use it for? I haven't decided. I might hang it in my laundry room to put things found in pockets. Next time I will scale the project down to a smaller size.

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(38) Kris McCoy

Here is my finished wall hanging. Made from my hubbies old work jeans, a tie dyed shirt, 2different curtains and dollar store jewelry!!!!

Don’t Eat Yellow Snow

My little art quilt finished up about 20.5 by 22.5 inches. I made it from old clothes, a rust-dyed washcloth (used, of course), paperclips, and thread snarls from the edge of washed fabrics. I quilt in Idaho, and you can read more about this quilt on my blog, quiltiverse.com/2014/01/upcycle-challenge-quilt-part-three/

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(40) Slightly Off Quilter, Tina Benson

“Pretty Dirty” Laundry Bag

I think this was pretty ingenious, and it has the added bonus of being useful AND cute ! Personal points for me on that ! Considering I was thinking of not even participating this week due to lack of brain function, I think this came out pretty sharp !

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Even though Diane doesn’t count for the public vote you all really do need to see a closer look at the quilt she made this week.

Quilter: Diane Lapacek

A Garden of Thrift

Made for Project Quilting Upcycle Challenge

I started with a linen towel that I had dyed. I've been dyeing vintage linens for some time and had fancier linens available but liked the more rustic look of this one. I layered it with batting and used a piece of another hand dyed linen for a backing and quilted it very simply. I wanted to keep the look of the linen, so I stayed an inch or so away from the edge, then trimmed the batting 1/4" smaller and the backing 1/4" larger than the front. I pressed the backing under and topstitched close to the edge.

I found some green upholstery samples, butted them up side by side and zigzagged them together. I then cut them on the bias so that they would stretch easily to curve for stems. I attached them to the quilted towel by zigzagging on both raw edges.

Then the real fun began. I pulled out my box of miscellaneous stuff I've collected that I thought I or my granddaughters might use one day. Interestingly, those granddaughters, ages 7, 5 and 2 are all sleeping peacefully while I write this, but were negotiating for extra time before they go home tomorrow because we didn't even get to do art projects tonight. Anyhow, I found some mesh bags that once held hams or citrus fruit or something, some mylar type bags, an old chenille bathrobe that i had dyed, cheap mardi gras beads, some leftover pieces of cutter quality hand dyed vintage linens ( I had used parts of them to make a bag), a really cheap old blouse I'd dyed because it had some embroidery on it (also covered buttons). some scraps of starry garland I used to use to make halos for angels, pearls from a broken necklace, pieces of tie dyed t-shirts, discarded fancy girls dresses, a girl scout cookie bag, a wine cork, a plastic ball from an old ponytail band. and used buttons. All of these things found their way into the flowers.

Earlier today I posted a tutorial for the 5th block in the 52 Blocks: Twisted Tradition Quilt Along I’m running during 2014. It’s a fun twist on the Sugar Bowl Block…I’ll give you a hint on what I twisted it into – “What does the Fox Say?”

But now we’re going to take a closer look at 10 more incredible projects created for the Upcyled Project QUILTING Challenge. Be sure to head over and cast your VOTE for your FOUR Favorite quilts at some point this week. And – don’t hesitate to click on an image and leave the creator a comment on what you think of their piece! We all love to have feedback, encouragement and awe shared.

(21) Sara Yeager, sayeager57

Craft Time

Done!!!! This is named "Craft Time". A two-sided craft apron for my granddaughter baby Reagan. She'll grow into it, LOL. The horse feed bag side is for painting and the polka dot flannel side is for coloring creations. The crayon pockets are felt trimmed with rick-rack and pompoms. The apron is trimmed with felt and I used an extra pair of shoelaces for the ties. This was fun!!! Plant City, Florida

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(22) miranda’s place

Nature is Calling

This is my Project Quilting up cycle entry. I started out with an old pair of jeans, Christmas ornaments and an old quilt. As I worked of figuring out what to do, I found some potpourri that was crying out to be added. I liked how all the browns, cream and gold worked with the denim background. Everything made me think of being outdoors and at peace with nature. I'm Miranda and I quilt in Georgia.

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(23) Barbarba Moore, Waymoorefunquilts

"On Being Green"

is what I have named this 12"square piece designed and made in Tucson, AZ. After studying the rules of the challenge and how all recycled items should not be from pieces of clothing, I went out to the garage to study the shelves! I found the burlap and used it for background and backing. A mesh bag that held scented pinecones was cut and used as backdrop for the paint chip trees, and again in the base for the trees whose trunks are made from the mesh bag's drawstring handle. The foreground pieces are laminate countertop samples. That stars are two layers of metallic and wood, both leftover from previous craft projects. The most unique feature is the packing paper binding. I made it as I would for a cloth quilt and stitched it to the front, then turned toward the back and fused it to secure. Thanks, Kim, for a second great challenge for Season V!!

bikes and babies

this is my project for this week's project quilting challenge "upcycle." the photos are ones that my husband and I made at my Aunt Cordelia's photography studio in Charlotte, NC back when we were dating. I pieced the triangles out of fabric from two old dresses--the turquoise fabric was a white dress, that I hand-dyed. And they are strung together by two necklaces that I bought from the Goodwill many years ago. Up until this project, they were hanging on a mannequin in my basement. I guess I will have to go thrift store shopping to get my mannequin some new jewelry! All in all, this piece is about 7" by 19" or 7" by 35" if you count all the dangling chains. And I live and create in Duncannon PA. Thanks for reading!

(25) Jan, Fatzaz

On My Way to the Funny Farm

On My Way To The Funny Farm quilt for Project Quilting Challenge. Upcycled denim jeans, overdyed feed sacks, chop sticks, wire, wool I forgot I had that I never dyed, glittery foamie from the bottom of a craft drawer, a bad nuno scarf and Nebraska commemorative coins, buttons, and old linens, all from the bottom of auction boxes. Size is 38" x 22", made by Jan K in SE South Dakota, January 25th, 2014.

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(26) Leah, Quilted Delights

House Pincushion

Leah from Lake City, SC. I really struggled with this challenge. I am not one to upcycle anything. I usually give away old clothes and unwanted items, so I was racking my brain trying to come up with an idea. Finally near the end of the week I had the pincushion Idea pop into my head.

I have a bin full of old denim pieces that I cut from worn out jeans. I save them to use as patches when needed. I decided the denim would make great walls for a cute little house pincushion.

I added some fringe, beading, and yarn as vegetation. These items came from my daughter who had salvaged them from other items.

The two items I added that usually can't be found on a quilt are a bottle cap, and a CD. I put the bottle cap as a wall decoration. It reminds me of the quilt images that can bee seen on the side of barns. I used the CD to make the windows. I cut it into tiny squares and glued them on.

I appliqued the brown door to stay within the guidelines. The door is an old piece of felt that has been tucked away in a drawer.

The roof is denim covered in a gold mesh. Another treasure from my daughters stash.

Pincushion measures 3 inches wide x 4 inches tall.

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(27) Janie, Isabella’s Whimsy

Beachy Daze

Project QUILTING Season 5, Upscale Challenge. I made this 9X13" wall hanging with scruffy old blue jeans pieces (water), a favorite blue blouse that had seen the best of its time (sky), an old linen valance (sand) and is embellished with found seashells and a bit of yarn. The foam of the waves is tulle. The seaweed at the shoreline is a bit of the yarn tail from an UFO. I enjoyed the quilting lines and adding the teal stitches to the water. I used blouse fabric to bind the top edge, but opted to leave the sides and slanting bottom unbound. I added quick-triangles and a skewer for hanging. The backing is another piece of the linen valance.

This quilt was made by me in my home in College Station, TX.

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(28) Alyssa Carrion

Stuffie Quiet Time Mat

And here is our finished Mat... We've named it the Stuffie Quiet Time Mat. My 5 year old sewed all of the stuffies onto the old pillowcase that is her brother's favorite because it's soft. The "batting" is an old chip bag and wipe bag so it crinkles. And the backing and binding are both old baby blankets.

For the Birds

"For the Birds" I started with an empty feed sack. I cut it down to a more manageable size. The interior is lined with an on old sheet (didn't know we were limited to 5 picture uploads a day, next time I will post as I go). The gingham was a scrap that was cut and stained and I pulled it out wondering why I even had it....but I think it is PERFECT for this bag! The back pocket is made from the cover of a fabric book, and the handle is two shirt sleeves. I started collecting these bags from local people when I found out they are not recyclable. Thank you for finally giving me the courage and forcing me to find the time to pick one up and do something with it!

Picnic Blanket

Challenge: Upcycle. Must include elements of quilting, be made from recycled materials and use 2 elements not intended for quilt or clothing.

Season Goal: larger, functional quilts.

This quilt is made from old blue jeans and a few other clothes. The top is raw edge applique. The backing and binding are pieces of a plastic billboard covering. The quilt is secured with a hand-forged s-hook and some rescued ribbon.

Happy Wednesday everyone! I’m sure you’re all here bright and early because you just can’t wait to see what ‘twist’ I put on a tradition block today. I’m pretty sure y’all will like this one…

Sugar Fox Block Tutorial for

52 Twisted Traditional Block Quilt Along

Finished Block Size – 8.5” x 8.5”

For this block tutorial I twisted the traditional ‘Sugar Bowl Block’ and made it into a fun fox! It’s basically just one block, made four times and then a little bit of appliqué. The basic block is another great block to know how to make because it’s easy to manipulate it to create many different looks. I hope you enjoy the Sugar Fox Block!

Cutting Instructions

Fabric 1 – (red)

1 – 5” square

Fabric 2 (orange)

1 – 5” square

Fabric 3 (orange with hexagons)

1 – 5” square

Fabric 4 (light blue – bkgrd)

1 – 5” square

Fabric 5 (orange with gold)

1 – 4” square

Fabric 6 (black/dk grey)

1 – 2.5” x 4”

Other:

4” square piece of sewable fusible (I prefer Heat N Bond Lite but use whichever one you like best)

2.5” x 4” rectangle of nonsew fusible (I prefer Heat N bond Ultra)

Directions

Start by drawing a diagonal line on the wrong side of your background square, fabric 4. Sandwich Fabric 4 right sides together with Fabric 1.

Sew a scant ¼” seam on both sides of the line.

Cut along the line you drew. This doesn’t have to be perfect so you can use a scissors if you wish.

Iron towards the darker fabric. Do not trim down.

Now, draw a line from the corner of Fabric 4 to the corner of Fabric 1 on both HSTs you just made. Layer one on right sides together with Fabric 2 and one right sides together with Fabric 3. The HSTs will be smaller than the squares. Eyeball to center them on the fabrics.

Sew a scant ¼ seam on both sides of the lines you drew.

Cut in half.

Iron towards Fabrics 2 and 3.

Trim to 4.5” squares. If we just sewed these four blocks together we would have the Sugar Bowl Block. That’s too simple though – anyone see the fox yet? I do want you to sew these four pieces together now though. Then we’ll get to the fun stuff!

Trace the eye and nose shapes onto the non-sew fusible and iron to the wrong side of Fabric 6. Templates on page 6 (or feel free to draw your own).

Trace the ear pieces onto the sewable fusible and iron to the wrong side of Fabric 5.

Cut the five pieces out.

Lay the pieces out on your fox as shown in the diagram above. Iron down.

The eyes and nose don’t need to be appliquéd on since we used a non-sew fusible, but I used a blanket stitch to sew the ears on. When fusing your pieces be sure to remember that there will be a ¼” missing from each side once these blocks get sewn to other blocks.

Your ‘Sugar Fox’ is complete! I hope you enjoyed making him!

Thanks for following along and I hope you enjoyed this block tutorial!

I’m thinking a round of ‘Woodland Creatures’ added to my ‘Road Trip to California’ Medallion Quilt would be pretty neat. We’ll just have to see though…

Get a FREE printable PDF by heading to my Craftsy page and getting the Free Sugar Fox Block Pattern. Don’t wait too long though! In one month there will be a small fee for the Printable PDF pattern…you’ll always be able to view it on my blog for free though.

Happy Tuesday everyone! Looks like we’ll be hunkering down and trying to stay warm once again today. The girls’ are off of school for the second day in a row. My plan is to get them to help me organize my scraps by color…wish me luck!

Today we’re going to take a closer look at 10 more incredible projects created for the Upcyled Project QUILTING Challenge. Be sure to head over and cast your VOTE for your FOUR Favorite quilts at some point this week. And – don’t hesitate to click on an image and leave the creator a comment on what you think of their piece! We all love to have feedback, encouragement and awe shared.

(11) sharonhuismith

VINTAGE PATTERN AND SPOOLS ORGANIZER

Sharon in MI I really wanted to recycle sewing-related items to make something to use when I sew. I made this organizer with pockets to go over the ironing board to hold various scissors, etc. I laminated a vintage pattern, backed it with the basket liner and sewed it on the drop clothe. I attached wood thread spools to make a flange along the bottom. I laminated another pattern, backed it with the basket liner, and added fabric pages to make an embroidery practice book. Then I used drop clothe to make a pin cushion and thread catcher. I laminated and hand sewed store receipts and other ephemera on the front of the bag. It's attached to the pin cushion with a vintage thread spool. This was a fun project and really challenged me to get out of my comfort zone! I know it'll make me smile every time I look at it!

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(12) Quilts by Lisa

ALE 3D

I call this fabric basket ALE 3D because it was A Learning Experience in 3 dimensional sewing. It was made in Kentucky for Project QUILTING, Season 5: Challenge 2–Upcycled. It is about 5" square and 6" high.

For this project I started with some discarded upholstery samples. I did some random quilting on the hexagon print using regular quilt batting and fabric from an old shirt for backing. This quilted part would become the sides of the basket. For the base of the basket I used a stack of cardboard squares (from FQs purchased at a recent JoAnn's sale) that I covered with another upholstery sample (not shown). The lining is made from a third sample. The casings on the top edges have sections of a metal tape measure in them to give the top some shape. The trim on the bottom edge is an elastic headband. I just made this up as I went along and often the plan changed when the original idea wouldn't work. That's why I call it A Learning Experience. It came out rather wonky as you might expect when making something on the fly. But nowadays wonky is good, right? Well, that's what I'm telling myself. It was fun to try some Upcycling, but it does make me more appreciative of wonderful, new quilt fabric and sewing things that are flat!

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(13) Tisha Sandberg

Starter House

Tisha Sandberg Project Quilting - Season 5 Challenge 2 Project name: My House I work in a home studio in rural Southwest Wisconsin near Bagley. For this challenge I constructed a three dimensional house with a zippered roof. The house is decorated with the address of my family home and a stamp (which I carved) of the flying corn symbol from DeKalb, IL, which is where I grew up. I saw a photo of a quilted house many years ago and have always wanted to try making one. This challenge was a perfect reason to give it a try. It really was a learning experience and a tremendous amount of fun, so I’m sure it will not be my last.

I started by making paper templates for all four walls and waited till the base was put together to measure for the roof. The entire house was constructed out of upcycled materials with the exception of the batting thread and embroidery floss (thread). Here’s how the materials were used to construct the house: •Used dryer sheets were painted and sewn together to cover the exterior walls. They were then layered with batting and plastic from a bird seed bag to make the finished walls. •The exterior roof was made from used dryer sheets stitched together with bits of scrap yarn and thread. I used Solvy to make these sheets. The interior of the roof is made from a used mailing envelope with bubble wrap inside. The layers were sewn together and a used zipper was attached to the two roof halves. •Decoration on the outside consists of decorative stitching, appliquéd strips of bird seed bag and appliqués made by drawing with Sharpies on used hand wipes. The hand wipes were washed, dried and ironed first. •Holes were punched on all four sides of the pieces and the house was put together by whip-stitching with embroidery floss. Because of the materials used on the interior, the house is very sturdy.

Live Deliciously

This 20 x 36 wall hanging was inspired by my love of cupcakes. As soon as I saw the challenge, the pieces fell into place for me. I dug through my bin of fabric and found remnants of a quilt that a portion had already been repurposed into curtains for my son. I used that as my backdrop and pulled apart the layers to use that fabric as well to create my colorful cupcake liner. Then I cut and rolled old white t-shirts to create the layers of frosting. I sewed around the edges and tacked the remainder in place with "sprinkle" stitches. My two non-traditional items are the Hershey's sign, which I bought many years ago but never found the right place to display. The finishing touch for me is the fork, which I engraved to say "Live Deliciously." I create in Oshkosh, WI.

(16) Kelly Kroon

Tattered Hearts

I call this Tattered Hearts. I create in Reedsburg, WI. The hearts are old cloth diapers that I painted with fabric paint. The maroon and blue piece is handmade paper that had been a pin. The background pieces are fabric samples from when I sold Longaberger baskets. I used old boot laces from my hubby to lace the piece to the repurposed frame. The ribbon and yarn I used to applique the hearts on are leftovers from other projects, as is the batting. That Purple Thang is a great tool for poking holes into fabric!

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(17) Kristina, Snowflake McGuire

Platypus Fever!

My first completed Project Quilting challenge!! Hooray for upcycling!! I have named it Platypus Fever! It was made using an old plastic mesh beach bag, two Subway kids meal bags and an old pillow case. I created this tote at my home in Pardeeville, WI. Measures approx. 15 inches by 15 inches by 3 1/2 inches deep.

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(18) Sew JJ

Project Upcycle

This is a chalk bag for climbing. I used an old pair of jean shorts for the outside and quilted that to some leftover batting which was left exposed on the inside to absorb the chalk powder.

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(19) Katelyn Pritchard

A quilted sweater scarf I used three sweaters, a silk flower, a necklace pendant, and a broken ring in this up cycle challenge.

Throughout the week I’ll be showing you all ‘closer looks’ at the incredible projects created for the Upcyled Project QUILTING Challenge. Be sure to head over and cast your VOTE for your FOUR Favorite quilts at some point this week. And – don’t hesitate to click on an image and leave the creator a comment on what you think of their piece! We all love to have feedback, encouragement and awe shared.

(1) Callmelyds, Lydia Wooten

Redneck Gift Bag

Ok, so here is what I came up with. I FMQed a flower on printer paper then sewed the paper together to make a bag. The flower was supposed to be green on the outside, but after I sewed it all I learned that I couldn't fold it inside out. To get the "three layers stitched together" and to make it more sturdy, I layered plastic bags, sewed them together then sewed them to the paper. I'm not sure if anyone would ever want to receive a gift in this, but here it is! My "Upcycled Quilt." From Virginia Beach, VA and this bag is 8" by 11"

Feel the Love

I decided to make a tag baby quilt/blankie for my grandson using recycled fabrics. I wanted to make a blankie that my grandson could feel the LOVE from his Grandmama and Grandpapa in the US. I will be traveling to the Netherlands to take it to him in March. I will give him lots of love, not just the blankie! I selected lots of textures for the blankie. My two materials that are not intended for clothes or quilts are the yellow shammy and the dish towel with the red ruffle. I added a shirt and a vest and a tote bag tab and a package ribbon for the tags. I cut up an old flannel pillowcase for the backing fabric. I posted about my project on my blog: marciascraftysewing.blogspot.com/2014/01/feel-love-blanki...Another fun quilted project for Project Quilting completed! Thanks Kim and Diane for inspiring us to create!

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(3) Carla Keahey

Longhorn Luncheon

Project Quilting Season 5: Upcycled Entry. This tablecloth is made up of two burnt orange curtains, and one white curtain for the appliqued longhorns. Washers and ribbon form a system at each corner for anchoring it in place in the wind. It measures approximately 50x85, and was made by me in Broomfield, CO.

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(4) Pam Wickman

Mom Remembered

Here is project completed. I added a magnet from my refrigerator that says Angels Among Us. I attached by sandwiching the quilt between two magnets. It has a string of pearls through the case that was her necklace. Ironically it is right below a quilt bar that my dad just made, and the angels on the shelf were also my moms. Regardless of whether it qualifies or not for the challenge, I am glad it gave me the opportunity to use the piece, and it will be hung in my sewing room! Thank you Project Quilting.

The triangles are the slithy toves, the circles are the tove eggs, and plain triangles are juvenile toves, and the purple wavy strips are the wabe. I've interpreted brillig to be the point at which fully mature toves emerge (gyre and gimble) from the golden creches.

(6 ) cinnamonchip

Happily Ever After

I used the fabrics from the crib skirt that I made for my oldest kiddo (and we stopped using when it started collecting dust under the crib). My wedding bouquet is getting old and had started falling apart–I wanted to save the pieces and make something special out of them. And then I also used the rock and stick collection that we gradually accumulate as the boys bring them in after playing outside. I’m calling it “Happily Ever After”. You can’t see it in the picture, but there’s a little hand quilted heart in the bottom corner. It’s going to go up in our master bedroom.

(8) Amanda Reid, Cotton N Lace

My Bin Has Bling In!

I found the broken frame while cleaning out the garage amongst other stuff...it has a board for the back..the curtains are old ones from linen cupboard..and the glittery background was a long evening dress! ..The vase is cardboard...painted bronze and kids glitter glue and papery small flowers from my card design days,,The beady things are leftovers from when I embellish boring lamp shades..The curtains were sewn onto the background but actually most the applique was done with a staple gun!...I will put this in my 'windowless' studio (garage) one day....

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(

Workin’

Project Quilting Season 5, Week 2 - Upcycled challenge

Workin' - a wall hanging Made from baby clothes, a paper bag, a children's book, and pieces of a kids toy

This project is FAR from my "usual" and much more abstract than anything I have ever sewn. It was fun to challenge myself not only with the upcycled challenge requirements but with my own goal to work outside my comfort zone during at least one challenge this season!

I sew in my home studio in Montesano, WA during naps and after my two boys go to bed.

For the Children

Clippings of children raw-edge appliqued and bound with masking tape. I chose this title and subject because health is important not just for the short run, but for the children and all the generations that come after us.

Once again I am absolutely BLOWN AWAY by the incredible quilted creations made for this weeks Project QULTING Challenge – Upcycled. Seriously! This was a TOUGH Challenge. EVERYTHING you used had to have had a life as something else at some point AND two materials had to have never been intended to be used in a quilt or clothing. Sounds like fun at first…and then you start working on your idea and you have to dig through all the things you’ve been ‘collecting’ forever to find the right thing that you can cut up and sew! Trust me – this was not an easy challenge – yet 41 folks took it on and conquered it! Great job!

Since we had sew many projects – this is going to be another really long post!

I will post the name of the quilter above the picture of their quilt. If you click on the quilt you’ll be able to go to flickr to read the story behind the quilt.

Before we get to the quilts – what will the quilt with the most votes win!?

In the spirit of upcycling – I’ll be giving the quilt with the most votes one pair of these fabulous bobbin earrings that I make!

Alright – now I’m going to post the quilts in the order they were submitted to the quilt and then at the bottom of this page you can vote for your favorite. You’ll be allowed to pick your top FOUR (4) quilts so keep that in mind as you’re browsing. Click on the quilt images and it will take you to the flickr page so you can learn more about the quilt and the process the artist went through to create it. Closer looks at each of these quilts will be coming on this blog throughout the week. The poll will be open until 9pm CST on Friday, January 31st (aka Diane’s, the challenge giver, Birthday!!!!) .

(1) Callmelyds, Lydia Wooten

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(2) Marcia’s Crafty Sewing & Quilting

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(3) Carla Keahey

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(4) Pam Wickman

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(5) joanna66604

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(6 ) cinnamonchip

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(7) rutigt

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(8) Amanda Reid, Cotton N Lace

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(9) Kim Wells, Mama Eggo

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(10) megan.null

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(11) sharonhuismith

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(12) Quilts by Lisa

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(13) Tisha Sandberg

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(14) NoneSuch Exists

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(15) For Quilts Sake

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(16) Kelly Kroon

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(17) Kristina, Snowflake McGuire

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(18) Sew JJ

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(19) Katelyn Pritchard

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(20) Shout4Joy

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(21) Sara Yeager, sayeager57

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(22) miranda’s place

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(23) Barbarba Moore, Waymoorefunquilts

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(24) erinrebbecaz, Faller Girl

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(25) Jan, Fatzaz

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(26) Leah, Quilted Delights

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(27) Janie, Isabella’s Whimsy

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(28) Alyssa Carrion

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(29) The Stylish Home

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(30) waggonswest

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(31) Quilties

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(32) Carlotta Jean

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(33) Jen Sews

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(34) Sew Many Possibilities

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(35) tjtruesdale

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(36) virpalm

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(37) Trudy Brule

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(38) Kris McCoy

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(39) Abby Fuller

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(40) Slightly Off Quilter, Tina Benson

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[polldaddy poll="7747544"]

Diane and I aren’t entered into the Public Vote but we’d still love for you to stop by flickr or leave a comment on the blog post about what you think of the quilts we created!

My first idea for the border was to put a thin darker fabric border and then do a pieced border with some squares mimicking the design inside but at a larger scale. I didn’t plan on putting these all around but putting a few here and there and then blending them in with the pink/orange/yellow ombre fabrics.

Of course – I ran out of the pink/orange/yellow ombre’s. This means yesterday I went to my Local Quilt Shops on the hunt for the ombre fabrics to finish up the borders.

Of course, no one had the ombre fabrics I needed. BUT I did still find some fun fabrics…I tried to stick to just Riley Blake’s since I could still use those in the border….or whatever.

So…I ended up coming home with, starting on the left, two shades of grey kona solids (also okay for the Riley Blake Challenge), Rapture designed by Pat Bravo for Art Gallery Fabrics, Camp-A-lot by BoBunny for Riley Blake (qualifies), Rapture designed by Pat Bravo for Art Gallery Fabrics, Fall’s Tapestry by Fabri-Quilt Inc (I’m a sucker for anything with metallics in it), hooty HOOT Returns by Doohkey designs for Riley Blake (qualifies), Fall’s Tapestry by Fabri-Quilt Inc, Peak Hour by Kellie Wulfson for Don’t Look Now – Riley Blake (Qualifies), Giraffe Crossing by the RBD Designers – Riley Blake (qualifies), life in the jungle by doohikey designs for Riley Blake (qualifies), Basic Grey Sweet Serenade for Moda, basic grey for Moda in a minty turquoise and basic grey for Moda in a tangerine orange. These basic grey ‘solids’ just slay me. They’re not quite solid but still read solid. I find the ‘brushed on’ texture of them fabulous and feel that they add a great depth and movement to quilts when I add them in. I have a hard time resisting adding more color ways to my stash.

So…overall I would say I mainly stuck to fabrics that qualify for the challenge… but I just couldn’t resists the others…

Since I don’t have the ombre’s and I really need to finish this quilt I *think* I have a new idea that will work for the border. Now, to put it together and see if it actually looks as cool as it does in my mind!

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